Shadow Preachers
by rachelariella
Summary: Noa Verbeck is forced to leave Gotham when the demons of her past suddenly catch up with her. Realizing her first love Dick Grayson might be the only person equipped to help her start over, she visits him in Detroit. One thing Noa didn't see coming is also having to worry about keeping a teenage girl alive as they try to figure out who she is and why a bunch of people want her dead
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Titans. I only own my oc.  
 **Description:** Through every trial and tribulation Noa Verbeck stuck by Bruce Wayne's side, even when his falling out with Dick causes her to lose the first boy she ever loved. She hoped never to have to see Dick again, but when the demons of her past suddenly catch up with her, she's forced to leave Gotham in order to keep it from falling farther into chaos. Realizing Dick might be the only person equipped to help her start over, she visits him in Detroit. One thing Noa didn't see coming is also having to worry about keeping a young teenage girl alive as they try to figure out who she is and why a bunch of people want her dead.

 **Chapter 1**

The weight of the words her father had just spoken landed on Noa's shoulders like a ton of bricks, sucking the air from her lungs. The sentence seemed to echo in her mind as she tried to process it. Thinking it would help stop her heart from pounding against her ribs, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a few deep breaths. By the time she willed herself to open them, she'd almost forgotten she wasn't alone. Her father, or rather the only real father she ever knew, was still standing before her, the paper in his hands that confirmed the freshly delivered news. The news that was certain to change Noa's life once again.

"Can't we fight this?"

Noa shook her head without looking to the speaker behind her. "It wouldn't be of any use. The decision's been made."

"Well, it was the wrong fucking decision," Jason responded, but Noa didn't have the energy to voice her agreement. "He must have bought the parole board."

"It wasn't the board that let him go," Bruce said, causing Noa and Jason to exchange a look.

"Then who the fuck was responsible for it?"

"The mayor."

Noa sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "Fuck me."

"Gladly," Jason chirped from behind her. She could feel Bruce's scolding gaze land on him, leaving any reprimand she could think of obsolete.

" _Sorry_ , I was just trying to lighten the mood," Jason said a moment later. Noa inhaled as she raked her fingers through her golden hair to push it out of her face. She pivoted on the heels of her bare feet to look at her foster brother.

"Jase, could you leave us alone for a minute? I have to talk to Bruce."

"But—"

"Just for a minute, I promise," Noa added before any further arguments could be made. Jason must have sensed the seriousness of the situation on his own for once because he left without another word.

Bruce waited until the door to the kitchen swung shut behind Jason to return his attention to his daughter. "I'm going to do everything I can to find a way to fix this, Noa. I swear."

She nodded, fully believing his promise. "I know you will… but what if there isn't a way to fix this one."

Her dad seemed prepared for her response because barely a second passed before he told her, "There's always a way, Noa. Even if there isn't, I'll make one."

Unable to hold back the scoff that built in her throat, she shook her head. "My family—"

"He is _not_ your family," Bruce said, all doubt and concern fading from his features. Instead, it was replaced with a familiar emotion that Noa had seen countless times, usually before he beat some criminal half to death. "Not anymore."

"Not ever." She nodded. Bruce, Alfred, and Jason were the only family she ever truly knew. Only one person was missing from that equation, but nothing would ever change that. "But my grandfather is my blood and he knows it. I don't think his greed or his pride will let him rest until he gets what he wants. God forbid, if what he wants is me…"

Bruce was never one to initiate displays of affection so when he took the two steps it required for him to be able to touch Noa, she wasn't sure what to expect. He wrapped his arms over her shoulders before she could even process that he was hugging her. It only took her a second to respond by snaking her hands around his back.

"I've always done my best to protect you, Noa," Bruce said, pausing to kiss the top of her head, "and I always will."

Most people had only ever seen one side of Bruce and a whole different, darker side of Batman. Noa was lucky to be one of the select few he'd let inside the walls he'd built around himself long before he came into her life. For every dark or violent act she had seen him commit as Batman, she would also witness twice as many acts of kindness and generosity by Bruce Wayne. No matter what had occurred over the years, there hadn't been a single second that she was afraid of him. Whether it was as Bruce or Batman, Noa felt the safest when she was with him. She could only hope that feeling wouldn't change in the following weeks.

* * *

TWO WEEKS LATER…

"Here."

Noa looked up from under her jacket hood to see Jason holding out a single key. She arched an eyebrow as she took it from his hand.

"Bruce wants you to have it," Jason explained.

"But my—"

He huffed a sigh. "It's a car, Noa. One that can't be traced back to us, I promise. We just want you to be safe."

"Is _that_ why he's not here?"

Jason pursed his lips as he angled his head toward her. "I think it's because he's not great at goodbyes, especially when it's with his favorite kid—don't bother denying it. We all know it's true."

"Thank you, Jase," Noa said, cracking a smile for the first time in days, She winced when it stretched the cut on her lips. Jason reached up and ran a finger under the bruise on her cheek.

"Make sure to put some ice on that once you get to the motel."

She scoffed and swatted his hand away. "You know, I've been doing this a lot longer than you, kid. I know how to administer first-aid."

"Kid? You're like, what, four years older than me?" Jason said, obviously offended.

"Almost five," Noa corrected with a nudge.

"Right, right, right. Those three months _really_ make a difference."

"Stop being a smartass." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "It could actually get you killed one day and I won't be there to save—"

"Yeah, you will," Jason rebuffed. He smirked when she met his gaze. "We're going to figure this out and once we do, you'll be back home with me, Bruce, and Alfred. Right where you belong."

Noa tried to return his smile, but it was near impossible with what was looming over her head. "I want to believe that, Jason. I just… don't want to risk the future of Gotham because I have too much faith in Bruce. I know he's our hero, but he is just a man."

Jason faced her and squared his shoulders, oozing the same confidence he always did. "I'm telling you, Noa; we're going to fix this. No matter what it costs."

Despite the objections echoing in her mind, she nodded. "I know."

Both of them turned their gazes too the ominous skies when a crack of thunder echoed through the air. Jason chuckled to himself as he looked back at Noa. "Well, as much as I love you, I'm not staying out here to get drenched or struck by lightning."

"The odds of that—"

"You know what I mean," Jason said, cutting off her prepared statistic. He pulled his hands from his pockets and wrapped them around his sister, kissing the side of her head. "I love you, Noa."

"I love you, too," she mumbled into his jacket. They held on to each other until Jason realized it had started raining. He shoved his hands back into his pockets and nodded to the car.

"There's something in the glove compartment for you," Jason revealed as he backtracked toward the diner. "Read it. Use it."

"Jase…"

With an exasperated sigh, he rolled his eyes. "Can you resist the urge to argue with me for once in your life and just do it? It's from me, not Bruce."

Hesitantly, Noa relented with a careless shrug.

Jason paused for just a moment as he stepped into the restaurant. "But there is actually something from Bruce in the trunk. Use it well!"

With that, he disappeared into the diner. It would have been a useless endeavor to get him to take the surprise gift back to Bruce. Whatever that man told Jason to do, he did it and he did it well.

Noa pulled the car key from her pocket and got into the car, starting it immediately to get the heater running. She pushed the hood of her jacket off her head and took a deep breath before opening the center console. The only thing inside was a small piece of paper. She exhaled as she unfolded it, taking a moment to read the scribble on the inside.

"You've got to fucking kidding me," she whispered under her breath, sparing a glance at the diner where Jason was sure to be at a table, ordering more food than he could possibly eat.

A part of her wanted to go inside and throw the paper at him in order to prove that she would never need the address that was written on it. Unfortunately, the bigger, more sensible part of her knew that wouldn't be the smartest idea. Without Bruce or Jason able to offer anymore assistance, she had very limited options of people she could turn to for help. The first boy she ever fell in love with just happened to be one of them.

A string of expletives spilled from her mouth as she put the car in drive and peeled out of the parking lot. She was suddenly very happy that she'd have a day to figure out what she was going to say to Dick Grayson when she got to Detroit.

* * *

"Don't be weird. Don't be weird. Don't be weird…" Noa continued to repeat the same phrase over and over again as she paced the length of the hallway outside of Dick's supposed apartment.

For some reason, it gave her a strange sense of comfort. She didn't really know what else to tell herself that would help prepare her for seeing Dick. It had been over a year without so much as a phone call on her birthday. Noa knew he wanted to break off all ties with Bruce when he left, but she was secretly hoping that he'd made a mistake when he said that meant her too.

"Here goes nothing," she said, facing the door after a few more minutes of intense pacing. No matter how many times she walked back and forth, it wouldn't make it any less awkward when she finally came face to face with him again.

Forming a fist, she knocked three times and hoped that would be enough to bring him to the door. Noa had to actively fight the urge to run when she finally heard the lock disengage and the doorknob began to turn.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," she muttered as the door swung open.

Noa inhaled slowly when she laid eyes on Dick. Though he didn't look that different from the last time she saw him, the gnawing sensation in her gut told her he was no longer the boy she grew up with. She did get some minor pleasure from the way his jaw dropped when he realized it was her at his door. At least, she wasn't the only one being thrown off balance by their bittersweet reunion.

She let him squirm for a minute longer before putting a hand on her hip and cocking her head. "You should close your mouth; you'll catch flies."

That seemed to snap Dick out of his haze. He shook his head as he looked her over. "Noa?"

"In the flesh," she said with a flourish of her hand. "Now, are you going to invite me in or make me stand in the hallway while you try to wrap your head around why I'm here?"

"I, uh, yeah…" Dick stuttered. He moved aside, opening the door wider to let her by. "Come on in."

"Always the gentleman," Noa muttered as she walked past him into the apartment. He shut the door behind her and followed in her footsteps as she ventured further inside.

"What, uh—what are you doing here, Noa?"

"Oh, you know. I always wanted to travel more and I thought, you know what, why not start with Detroit, the city of champions?"

" _Noa_ …"

Rolling her eyes, she spun on her heels to face him. "God, you look the same, you walk the same, you even sound the same, but you're not, are you?"

Dick's jaw clenched for a moment. "No, I'm not."

"Well, that's… good to know, I guess. For future reference and all. Not that we'd have a future together. I just—"

"Noa," Dick repeated and she was grateful that he stopped her before she really started to rant. "Are you going to tell me why you're here?"

She wet her lips and pressed them into a thin line. She was hoping that he would have read the news before she got there so she wouldn't have to explain the situation for the umpteenth time.

"I thought you would have heard by now," Noa said.

"Heard what?"

"My grandfather's out of prison. He came back to Gotham and the dominoes started to fall just like before." Noa took a calming breath and continued. "We tried to stop him, me and Bruce, but he was always one step ahead of us. In the end, he had the means to blow our city half to hell. He would have done it if I didn't agree to leave it all behind: Gotham, Bruce, everything I know and love. He said if I dropped it all and left, so would he. With an ultimatum like that, I didn't really have a choice but to go."

"Jesus, I didn't—"

"It doesn't really matter now. That part of my life is over apparently," Noa said, her voice wavering under the weight of the truth. It was the first time she had addressed the idea head-on. She wanted to keep all emotion out of her conversation with Dick, but was failing miserably.

With a shake of her head, she tried to get back on track. "But the reason I'm here, Dick, is because… well, I don't have anywhere else to go. My grandfather's out of prison for two weeks and he manages to alienate me from everyone I know. I'm… completely alone and I could really use your help."

Refusing her would have been easier in theory, but as he looked at the girl he'd known for half his life, the urge to help her was too overwhelming. Dick swallowed hard and closed the distance between them with a few short steps. He took the bag from her shoulder and shook his head. "You're not alone. Not anymore."

* * *

"God, I almost forgot what it was like to share a bathroom with you." Noa smirked to herself when she heard Dick sigh from inside the apartment's single bathroom. She tilted her head back against the door frame and folded her arms over her chest. "How does it take you thirty minutes just to get dressed and throw some overpriced product in your hair?"

The door swung open suddenly and Noa stood up straight to face Dick. He was less than amused as he looked down at her. "Have you ever thought that maybe the reason I spent so much time in the bathroom is so that I could have one moment to myself?"

Noa narrowed her eyes, studying his face. "You're telling me that, as a teenage boy, you would just sit in the bathroom by yourself for half-an-hour, sometimes longer?"

"Yeah."

She scrunched of her nose disbelievingly as she pushed past him, patting him on his shoulder. "Well, I sure hope you had some fun with yourself today."

It took a minute too long for Dick to realize the meaning of her words. The door slammed shut just as he turned to deny her implications, but that didn't stop him from pounding his fist against it. "That's not what I meant and you know it!"

He prepared to bang on the door again, but it swung open before he could. Dick stepped back, taking in the sight of Noa, fully dressed with her hair suddenly braided over her shoulder. She smirked deviously when she saw the look on his face.

"I wouldn't think on it too hard. Don't want you to hurt yourself now."

Noa gave him one last pat on his shoulder before proceeding back to his bedroom, where she spent the night. Dick was generous enough to let her have his bed, but she could tell that his hospitality was already wearing thin. Apparently, in the 13 months he'd been living on his own, he'd gotten used to not having anyone around. His apartment was the definition of a bachelor pad with the large living room and small bedroom, sparsely decorated with personal items. That made it hard to believe that someone actually called the place home.

Dick followed her into the room, pulling on his jacket. "Look, I have to go to work, but we should talk about your situation when I get back."

"Work?" Noa quirked an eyebrow. "You're still a cop?"

" _Detective_ and why do you sound so surprised?"

She shrugged. "I thought after everything that happened, you'd want to do something that takes you as far from the justice system as possible."

"Like what?"

"Maybe… ultimate fighting?" Noa couldn't help but laugh at the look that appeared on Dick's face. "I was kidding, but now I'm thinking that it might be good for you. It would give you a release for all that frustration without having beat up criminals."

Dick threw her a look. "I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't gone out since…"

Noa cocked her head suspiciously. "You honestly expect me to believe that you quit cold-turkey?"

"I _did_ ," Dick said as he pulled his badge out of the top drawer of his dresser. He clipped that and his gun to his belt before facing Noa again. "I know you like what we used to do with Bruce, but I was never meant to be that person."

Huffing a breath, Noa stood from the bed and walked over to him. She straightened his tie and pursed her lips as she met his gaze. "I could always tell when you were lying, Dick. At least that hasn't changed."

He caught the underlying meaning to her statement and a pang of guilt went through him. Of all the things he'd done, what he did to Noa was one of the worst. He placed a hand over hers, squeezing it lightly.

"I never meant—" He stopped when she pulled her hand out from under his and fell back a couple steps.

His gaze shifted to her eyes. They were tight at the corners as if from smiling, but it wasn't real. Her expression read like stone. "Stop, Dick. You're already late and this isn't the kind of conversation to have as you're running out the door. We can talk about it when you get home."

She waited about ten minutes after he left the loft to go to her car and retrieve the large suitcase from the trunk. Of course, she'd already looked inside when she got to the motel. Finding her Halo outfit didn't come as too much of a shock. Back in Gotham, Bruce had no choice but to sit by and watch as she gave up almost everything she knew. He wasn't going to let her sacrifice this part of herself though. Noa could only hope this was the right way to thank him, the man who had given her everything she could have ever wanted.

After years of practice, it took less than thirty seconds to slip into the dark suit that was equipped to help control her "condition". Noa pointed her hand to the opposite wall, and with the stabilization gauntlets, she was able to fire a single beam of light. She made sure to keep it at minimum strength as to not cause permanent damage to Dick's home, but it was enough to leave a light scorch mark behind. Running over to the wall, Noa wiped the spot with her hand until the residue was completely gone. With a heavy sigh, the corners of her lips curled into a small smirk.

Going out that night would have been the right thing, that she knew. The only part Noa worried about was Dick finding out. She knew where he stood with the nighttime vigilante lifestyle. If she did start working again as Halo, there was a chance that her only remaining friend could turn his back on her. Noa always believed it was worth the risk, to go out and fight crime every night by Batman's side. The question weighing on her mind this time was if becoming Halo again was worth possibly losing the boy she loved for a second time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Jesus Christ."

The phone bounced off the couch and landed on the floor when Noa threw it in the opposite direction. She glared at the device for a few seconds before leaning over to pick it up. Dick had muttered something about being home by midnight as he shuffled out the door that morning. For some reason, seeing the small hand on the clock tick past the number one caused her stomach to turn. She had the courtesy to wait until it was half-past-twelve to start calling him, but the more she called without an answer, the more worried she became. She stood from the stiff couch and began pacing the width of the living room. She waited for the minutes to tick by until she deemed it appropriate to call Dick again.

On the surface, Noa realized there wasn't much to be worried about in his new life. He'd supposedly given up the Robin mantle a year ago and never went back. Unfortunately, no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn't ease the panic that was twisting in her stomach. It reminded her too much of the time in Gotham when she wasn't old enough to join Bruce and Dick out on the streets. She'd wait hours for them to return home safe and sound. At least back then she knew Robin would always have Batman to watch his back. If Dick wanted to go out now, he'd have to do it completely alone.

" _Maybe that's what he wanted all along_ ," Noa thought to herself.

Without giving herself the time to think it through, she retrieved her suitcase from where she'd hidden it underneath Dick's bed and pulled out her Halo uniform. Laying it on the couch, she started to undress.

The front door opened as Noa went to unbutton her pants, her shirt already lying on the couch. She instantly realized why Dick had gotten home late. The obvious spots of blood on his face and hands left very little to her imagination. Her confusion quickly turned to anger as he stared back at her.

"You fucking hypocrite."

"Noa—"

She didn't give him time to finish his plea. Picking her shirt off the couch, she chucked it across the living room, hitting him square in the face. "You're a lying piece of shit, you know that?"

With a sigh, he threw the piece of clothing back to her. "Can you put that on, please?"

"Fuck you," Noa said, her voice still dripping with animosity.

"Noa, please."

"It's nothing you haven't seen before, Dick. Or, did you forget about that, too?"

"I—"

"Let me jog your memory then. We screwed that night and when I woke up, you were gone. When I finally worked up the courage to give you a call, you told me, and I quote, 'I'll never put the suit on again as long as I live.'" She huffed a breath. "Guess I shouldn't be completely shocked, though. Like Bruce always said; a man never changes, they only get better at lying."

"Noa, will you please let me explain."

"You don't need to, Dick. Don't you know by now that I get it?" Noa asked, finally pulling her shirt on over her head. Slowly, she began pacing the length of the couch. "You put on the suit to go after some scum-of-the-earth dirt bag who was positively guilty of committing some heinous crime. You beat the crap out of them to make sure they never do it again. Maybe there was a child involved or a mother or just some innocent victim, I don't know. What I do know is how you felt because I've been in that position _countless_ times. The only difference now is that you're suddenly trying to convince yourself that we're wrong for doing it."

Dick slammed his suitcase on the kitchen table. "We are!"

Noa stopped mid-step to peer over at him. His eyebrows were knitted together tight and his lips formed a taught line as if he was trying to hold back whatever words caught in his throat. It was only when he looked at Noa that the tension eased. "We always were, but Bruce… he was really good at convincing us that weren't."

"He didn't need to convince me. I always knew that he was right and you used to believe the same thing. So, when exactly did that change?"

When Dick didn't answer, Noa walked over to the table. She placed her hands over the corners to lean against it, her grip tight enough to turn her knuckles white. Inhaling deeply, she met his gaze. "We were lucky. We never had to see Gotham without Batman… without Bruce Wayne. I know you think he was evil or dark or whatever the fuck you want to call him, but for every life that he endangered, he saved twice as many. It's one of the reasons you stuck around for so long. I know at least a small part of you still believes that or you never would have put that suit back on."

"I didn't…" Dick swallowed hard when the words caught in his throat.

"…have a choice." Noa laughed under her breath. "Another thing Bruce used to say."

She fought the urge to back away as Dick rounded the table to stand beside her. Sighing, Noa turned her head and raised her eyes to his face. It had been just over a year since they'd been that close to each other. It felt like a lifetime though.

"You were proud of who you became when you were with Bruce, but I became someone I couldn't even look at in the mirror. I loved…" Dick paused, thinking over his choice of words, "all of you, but eventually that wasn't enough to keep me there anymore. Not when it meant destroying who I was."

Exhaling slowly, Noa nodded. For once, she decided to let her anger subside long enough to give what he was saying a chance to sink in.

Bruce had helped her in more ways than she could count. She credited him with turning her into the person she'd always meant to become. It was a different story with Dick, though. He had parents who loved him and they'd given him a good home—a good life. When they died, he lost a part of himself. A part that Noa never had.

Bruce tried to fill that hole in Dick with his craving for justice and the will to get it no matter the cost. Noa just assumed that since it worked so well for her, it should've worked for him too and she blamed Dick when it didn't. The anger she felt about him leaving allowed her to put off accepting the truth even longer. No matter how hard she'd try, there was no way to change the differences that forced her and Dick apart.

Noa stepped forward and took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry," Noa said. "I've been so pissed about you leaving, I never really took the time to think through why you did."

"Don't apologize. Leaving was the right thing, but the way I did was wrong. Sleeping with you was—"

He stopped short when she yanked her hand away, moving out of his reach.

"Jesus Christ. Please don't say what I think you're about to say."

Shaking his head, he moved close enough to take her hand. His expression softened as he looked down at her and Noa had to remind herself that he wasn't hers to kiss.

"I was going to say that I shouldn't have slept with you that night." He caught her by the arm when she started to step away from him. "I was also going to say that I should have told you how I felt sooner. Being with you wasn't wrong, Noa. Being with you in that moment _was_. I shouldn't have gotten with you when I was halfway out the door. I should've waited until I was standing on my own two feet because that's what you deserve. I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner."

Noa scoffed as she dropped her head. "You still got it."

"What?"

"The ability to make me go from wanting to punch you to wanting to kiss you in thirty seconds."

Dick shrugged, a cocky smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Well, I guess you were right. Some things don't change."

Noa moved her head closer to Dick's. Leaning in, he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He angled his head and kissed her, causing every other thing on his mind to fade away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words never would be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. She ran her fingers down his back, pulling him closer until there was no space between them.

"Take off your clothes," she whispered against his lips.

He tugged back an inch. "What?"

"You expect me to believe you didn't get a bruise or two from beating someone up?" Stepping away, she gestured to his clothes. "Take them off and let me help you, like old times."

A laugh tumbled from his mouth. " _Like old times_."

* * *

"Here."

Dick took the golden R from Noa's hand and gave it a quick look-over before placing it in his suit. "Thanks."

She swung her legs over the side of the counter and watched as Dick furiously tried to wash the blood off one of his signature R-shaped shuriken in the sink. "I know you don't want to hear this, but you did the right thing last night."

"You're right," Dick said, sparing a sarcastic smile in her direction. "I didn't want to hear that."

"I get that you want to believe that the justice system can do it's job every time, but this was one of the many examples that proves it can't."

Noa only spent a couple seconds thumbing through the case files of the man Dick had gone after, but it was all she needed. If she was in his position, she would have done the same thing. Maybe that was causing Dick the most conflict. If Noa would have done it, it meant Bruce would have done it too.

"So, what, we're just supposed to take the law into our hands every time a judge or cop makes a decision we disagree with?"

"That's not what I'm saying." Noa took the wet Shuriken from Dick's hand and wiped it off on her pants. "Detroit isn't like Gotham. There, it's just utter chaos twenty-four-seven and there are very few people who are working to make things better. Here, there's order and the law does it's job most of the time when people break that order. Unfortunately, there will always be times when it falls short. If you have to beat a guy up to make sure that he doesn't almost kill his daughter again, then so be it."

Dick sighed. "That's the kind of philosophy I'm trying to leave behind, Noa."

"Why?"

"Because that's not how the world works. Not everything that happens is going to be right or just. Sometimes people get hurt and there's nothing we can do about it."

Noa scoffed. "Except that we can do something about it."

"Doesn't mean we should," Dick retorted.

"You did it last night."

With a heavy sigh, Dick stepped in front of her, placing his hands on either side of her to lean against the counter. "I made a mistake."

"What about the girl?" Noa asked as she combed her fingers through his hair. He shook his head.

"I should've found another way."

She pushed on his shoulders lightly until he looked up at her. "Let me make a call."

"Noa—"

"You want to make sure that girl never has to take another punch from her father, right?" He pursed his lips, taking a moment to sort out his thoughts. Noa wasn't surprised when he gave her a nod of approval. "Then let me help you do that."

She slid off the counter and grabbed Dick's wrist, pressing something into his hand. When he looked down, he saw it was his shuriken. She kissed him on the cheek and offered him a comforting smile before shuffling backwards toward the bedroom. "I promise, it has nothing to do with me burning a hole through his heart."

"Good to know," Dick mumbled as Noa disappeared into the next room. He dropped his gaze back to the shuriken once she was gone.

Staring at the weapon in his hand, his anger flared. All he ever wanted was to do the right thing; for his parents, for himself, for Noa and, hell, even for Bruce. Over the years, things had gotten so twisted in Gotham that it began to effect his sense of justice. In order to fix it, he had to leave the city and everyone he loved, but it didn't take him long to realize that it wouldn't change the rest of the world. Every time some terrible thing happened in Detroit, he had to fight the urge to use his Robin suit to make it right. He'd managed to control that urge until the night before with the victim's father.

He wanted to do the right thing. He just didn't know what that was anymore.

Turning on his heels, he cocked his arm and threw the shuriken across the room where it pierced the speed bag hanging from the ceiling.

* * *

Noa had just gotten off the disposable phone when it started ringing again. Despite it being an unregistered number, she recognized it immediately and answered the call.

"Great timing. I just finished talking with an old friend of Bruce's and he's taken care of Mr. Trent. Don't worry, he won't get hurt. Well, at least not yet. I can't promise that he'll be safe in prison when his fellow inmates find out he liked beating on his kid for fun, but that's not my—"

"That's not why I called, Noa," Dick interrupted. He continued before she could interject. "I need your help with something. Can you meet me right now? I'll text you the address."

"Uh, I'll be there as soon as I can," Noa said.

She stood from the couch and hurried to the bedroom. Even though Dick hadn't told her what he was calling about, she could tell it was urgent. She changed into a pair of jeans and sweatshirt. Somehow, she knew it would be a bad idea to bring her entire Halo suit so she decided to only take the gauntlets. If, for some reason, she did need to use her powers, she didn't want to accidentally kill whoever was on the receiving end.

Without breaking too many laws, Noa got to the abandoned church a lot quicker than she expected. It turned out to be a lot easier to drive in a city that wasn't Gotham. Dick had texted that he'd be waiting around the back and that's exactly where she found him.

"You want to tell me what this is about?"

Dick barely looked at her as he checked the magazine in his gun for bullets. With a sigh he shoved it back into place and tucked the weapon into his holster. "There's a girl I was helping back at the precinct, but before I could get more information about her, she was kidnapped and taken here."

"So, why didn't you tell your captain and get the real cops to help?"

"There's something weird going on with this girl. Something I can't explain and I got the feeling that no cop could help her. I think she needs Robin and Halo."

Noa bit her lip, but relented with a shrug. She pulled her gauntlets from her bag and threw it into the back of her car. Once the devices were securely on her arms, she flexed her fingers and smiled up at Dick. "Well, now it's really going to be like old times."

He rolled his eyes, but Noa could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile on his lips. "Let's just get this done. Preferably, with no bloodshed, okay?"

She threw her arms up in a feign surrender. "Hey, your town, your rules. I'm just here for the assist."

With that, they entered the church. Surprisingly, the back door wasn't even locked. The more time Noa spent in Detroit, the more she could see why Dick had chosen it as his new home.

"There," he whispered as they tiptoed down a dingy hallway.

It was barely audible, but Noa could make out the sounds of someone pacing in the next room. She gave Dick a nod before falling into step behind him. If she was right, it was just one person, which would be easy for him to subdue.

With her assumption proven true, Dick managed to knock the rogue cop out within seconds and laid him down on the other side of the room. Noa took his sidearm to toss the magazine and weapon in opposite directions.

"Call it insurance," Noa said when Dick threw her an inquisitive look.

He sighed and motioned forward. "Come on."

Dick called out the girl's name, Rachel, several times, but it was only when they reached the second floor that she responded. If the dirty cop hadn't been enough to convince Noa that this girl needed them, the pure terror in her voice was.

Noa pushed past Dick and hurried toward where she thought the shouts were coming from. "Forget the gun. Just go."

She kept one arm raised as she made her way to the stairs, prepared to blind anyone that blocked her path. Taking two steps at a time, she wound up in an attic with Dick on her heels.

"Fuck, Noa," Dick whispered, panting quietly. "Slow down."

She threw a wink over her shoulder. "I said it be just like old times."

He grabbed her arm before she could continue into the next room. Dick put a finger to his lips and she understood the message. He wanted to try to sneak up on whoever had kidnapped this girl. Noa reluctantly fell into step beside him, but she quickly grew impatient as he slowly scanned the room. Somehow, she managed to stick by his side as he pressed on. She'd said it herself: his town, his rules.

"There."

Noa followed his gesture to the door near the other end of the room. It was wide open, and while they couldn't see inside, she knew it was the right place. It was the only place they had yet to look. Dick took the lead, but just as he was about to step through the doorway, it slammed in his face, knocking him onto his back.

"Dick!" Noa shouted as she dropped to his side.

"I'm okay," he said, starting to push himself onto his elbows. He pointed to the door, which was now securely shut. "Help her."

Noa went to the door, trying the knob a few times without success. It didn't help that someone was standing on the other side with their back against it. No matter how hard she pushed, it wouldn't budge. Once he was on his feet, Dick gave it a couple tries, but had the same outcome.

"Back up," Noa instructed as she lifted an arm, directing her palm toward the doorknob. Dick did as she asked and put a couple feet between them.

"Remember what I said, Noa."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. No bloodshed."

With a thrust of her hand, the energy that gathered in front of her palm shot out at the handle. Noa didn't stop until the heat was enough to burn through the knob. Dick tried to ram the door again with his shoulder and it still refused to budge.

"What the fuck?"

"It's like something else is holding it shut," Dick murmured as his fingers traced the hole where the handle had once been.

Noa threw her arms up. "Well, then how the fuck are we supposed to get in there?"

They jumped when someone was slammed against the door from the other side. The spot of blood left behind didn't instill too much confidence in Noa, but when the door slid open on it's own, she followed Dick inside without hesitation.

She finally let down her guard when she noticed that the young girl strapped to the chair was the only other person in the room. Well, _living_ person. Noa knelt beside the man on the floor, taking care not to get his blood on her clothes as Dick went to free his friend.

"Rachel, what happened?"

Noa met his gaze when he glanced over his shoulder at her. She shook her head to tell him that the girl's captor was dead.

"I don't know," Rachel cried before throwing her arms around Dick. "Please, help me."

After wiping her bloody hands on the dead man's shirt, Noa stood to face Rachel and Dick. She didn't have to ask to know that he would agree to help the girl. He might've begun to question how he showed it, but he'd always had a good heart.

Rachel sniffled as she directed her attention at Noa. "Who are you?"

She smiled softly. "My name's Noa. I'm a friend of Dick's."

The teen returned the gesture and even with the tears running down her cheeks, it seemed sincere. "I'm Rachel."

"That's a pretty name," Noa said. She could tell the girl was terrified just by looking at her, but the question was what exactly was she so scared of. Was it the dead man on the floor or something else?

"Um, I have to talk to Dick for a moment, but then we'll get you out of here, okay?" When Rachel nodded, Noa pulled him aside and lowered her voice. "How much do you know about this girl, exactly?"

"She came to the precinct, scared out of her mind, and told me that someone had killed her mom before coming after her." Dick's gaze flickered back to the girl for a moment. "I think she came to Detroit because of me, Noa. She knew about the circus, about my parents, and how they died."

"How is that even—"

"I don't know, but she knew it all and I'm guessing it has something to do with her getting kidnapped from the police station."

"That would be a safe assumption, I think," Noa said, nodding faintly. She ran her fingers through her hair to push it out of her face before dropping her arms to her sides. "What are we supposed to do with her, though? You were _my_ back-up option."

"You're not going to like it, but I have an idea."

"Well, when you start a sentence like that…" Noa murmured. Looking back to Rachel, she shrugged. "Let's just get her out of the city and then we can discuss our options."

Dick caught her elbow when she started toward Rachel. She raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you for coming when I called. It was nice knowing that I had someone watching my back again."

Noa shrugged. "I'll always have your back, Dick. That is one thing that will never change."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Noa leaned against the door of the motel bathroom. Even though Dick had voiced his concerns, Rachel was currently eating as much junk food as she could handle while watching Game of Thrones.

"I'm gonna take a shower," she told the teenager. "Don't answer the door for anyone and maybe save some of that for later. Otherwise you'll get a stomach ache."

"Okay," Rachel said through a full mouth.

Closing the door behind her, Noa stripped out of the clothes she'd been wearing since she they left Detroit and stepped into the shower. She was nearly halfway done when she heard a scream come from the other room. Without rinsing the conditioner out of her hair, she wrapped a towel around herself and sprinted into Dick's room. Noa skidded to a stop and fixed her gaze on Rachel, who was sitting against the desk with her knees pulled tight to her chest. The girl was crying as she scribbled something on a notepad.

With one glance around the room, Noa realized that whatever had scared Rachel was no longer a threat. She let out a quiet sigh before she crossed the room and knelt beside her, placing a hand on her wrist to stop her from writing the crosses. Rachel placed her free hand on top of Noa's. Her grip was so tight, it was like she was hanging on for dear life.

"Rachel…"

She looked up at her, tears still brimming her eyes. "I don't get it?"

"What?"

"You just met me and you already care about me."

Noa pursed her lips and gave a single nod. "But that wasn't the question was it?"

It hadn't taken her long to notice Rachel's gift of empathy. All she needed was to touch someone, skin to skin, and she learned more than she probably wanted to know. The first time she'd properly touched Noa, she'd sensed her hesitance about who they were going to go see. At least, that's all Rachel told her about.

"How is it possible?"

"You trust me, right?" Rachel nodded. "Well, it's like that. You just met me, too, but when Dick and I found you in the church, you knew we came to help. When I saw you in that room I could tell that you weren't a bad person. You might have something bad in you, but it doesn't define you. Also, I sensed that you were really scared of something and… it reminded me of myself when I was your age."

"What were you scared of?"

Noa's eyes went to their hands. Rachel would sense if she tried to lie. Swallowing hard, she decided to tell the truth. "My grandfather. He was a… bad man. A scary man. Not just for me, but a lot of people. Even when I was a kid, it was obvious there weren't many people who could protect me from him. There were even fewer who wanted to try. It wasn't until I met my foster father—"

Rachel smiled. "Bruce Wayne."

"Yeah, Bruce," Noa said, returning the girl's gesture. "He saved me… protected me when no one else could. He gave me a home and a family, which is something I'll never get to repay."

"Is that what you want to give me?"

" _No lying_ ," Noa silently promised herself before taking a deep breath.

Using her other hand, she slid Rachel's disheveled hair behind her ear. "Honestly, I'm still a kid myself and I recently had a big change in my life. I'm trying to figure out how to adjust to it, but I promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and in the meantime, I'll do my best to be the family you deserve. We got a deal?"

The teenage girl gave a quick nod of her head and leaned forward to wrap her arms around Noa. "We have a deal."

She waited until Rachel let go to motion to her hair. "Now, I have to finish my shower. Do you think you'll be okay if I leave—"

"No, you can't leave me again!" Her eyes grew wide with fear.

Noa sighed as she glanced over her shoulder. "Okay, I have an idea, but it's a little unorthodox."

Rachel smiled weakly. "I'm like the definition of unorthodox."

* * *

Dick placed the pizza down on the table when he noticed the overturn chair in his room. Glancing at the papers on the table, he realized that someone had looked at them before he got back. He walked to the attached room and stepped through the door hesitantly.

His eyes narrowed when he saw Noa and Rachel lying on the bed with at least a dozen pieces of paper that had crosses drawn on them lining the edge of the mattress. Noa's arm was wrapped securely around the younger girl, but both of them were focused on the television. Dick only broke their attention when he knocked on the door.

Rachel looked at him and smiled. "Hey, Dick."

"Hey, _Dick_ ," Noa said with a smile that was too wide. "Took you long enough."

Dick narrowed his eyes, trying to read Noa's expression as they kept the conversation going. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay," Rachel chirped and returned her gaze to the tv. Noa gave a faint quirk of her head, gesturing to the other room. If Dick wasn't already watching her, he would've missed it.

Catching on to her hint, he nodded.

"I left the pizza in the other room. Noa, do you think you could help me with it?"

Rachel's head turned toward the older girl. "You need two people to carry a pizza?"

"Well, we also need plates and sauce."

"And soda," Dick added.

Noa slid her arm out from under Rachel's head. "But we'll be right back, I swear."

"Be careful of the—"

"Papers. I got it."

Dick watched as Noa stood on the bed, gracefully jumping over the papers and landing on the floor without knocking a single one out of place. She grabbed Dick by the arm and pulled him into his room.

"What the fuck happened?"

Noa smacked him hard on the chest. Despite her anger, she managed to keep her voice at whisper volume. "You said you'd be gone ten—fifteen minutes tops. It's been almost an hour, Dick!"

"I'm sorry. I had to check in on the case back home." He gestured back to the room Rachel was in. "What happened to her?"

"She got into your computer, saw the paper work on the guy she killed, and lost it, apparently. I was in the shower when I heard her scream and I found her drawing those crosses." Noa ran a hand through her hair and she sat down in one of the chairs at the table. "I calmed her down, but she wouldn't even let me finish my shower. Not until I agreed to let her sit in the bathroom and put those crosses around her."

"Jesus Christ."

Noa huffed a sigh. "That kid is living in constant fear, Dick. And it sure as hell isn't of the people trying to kill her. She's terrified of herself."

"I know. I just—how are we supposed to help fix something when we don't even know what's wrong?" Dick leaned forward, placing his hands on the back of the chair in front of him.

"We learn as much as we can about her, about her family, about her past. We put the pieces together like a puzzle so we can see the whole picture. Until then, we try like hell to keep her alive."

Noa waited until she saw Dick nod to grab the pizza and plates and shuffle back to the other room.

"Don't forget the soda," she called over her shoulder. Dick swore under his breath as she walked out of view.

He forgot the damn soda.

* * *

"I can't believe I fucking agreed to this," Noa muttered as she stared at the apartment building in front of her. She looked down when she felt someone take her hand. Rachel stood beside her, a sympathetic smile on her lips.

"You don't want to be here, do you?"

Noa sighed, returning her gaze to the building.

"No, not really."

Rachel cocked her head suspiciously. "Why not?"

With a rough laugh, Noa met her gaze. "Now, that really is too complicated to explain."

The younger girl scrunched her nose and released her hand. "I believe you."

"You guys got your stuff?" Dick asked from behind them, breaking Noa's train of thought. She reached down and grabbed her bags off the sidewalk.

She stayed a few feet behind Dick and Rachel as they made their way up to the third floor of the apartment building. It had been years since she'd seen the other pair of vigilantes, but it felt like it was just last week that Hank was ranting about how he was going to beat the shit out of Dick and Dawn was crying to Noa about how the boy they loved broke her heart. The four of them parted ways shortly thereafter and she hadn't heard from either of them since. She'd honestly never expected Dick to suggest the couple as an option for help, but when given the chance, she couldn't think of an alternative choice.

"So, who are these guys?" Rachel asked as they shuffled down the hall toward the door marked 304. Hank and Dawn's apartment, no doubt.

"Old friends," Dick said, but Noa couldn't hold back a harsh scoff. He shot her a look before continuing. "Truth is, we haven't seen them in a long time."

"Oh, I wonder whose fault that was," Noa pondered aloud, earning another glare from Dick.

"Noa, could you at least try to be civil?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm always fucking civil, especially when it comes to our two favorite friendly neighborhood vig—"

"— _Noa_."

Sighing heavily, she gave up. They were trying to shield Rachel from all the vigilante drama, but there was no way they'd be able to keep that secret from her for much longer. She gave Rachel's shoulder a squeeze and lowered her voice. "This is gonna be fun."

"Noa, please."

She rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall beside Rachel, crossing her arms over her chest. Dick knocked and stepped back with a deep breath. Noa looked up when the door swung open and standing there was Dawn. Even as she gaped at them, she was still as beautiful as ever with her platinum hair and doe eyes. It was easy to understand why people instantly fell in love with her.

"Hey," Dick said, breaking Dawn out of her trance. The older woman gave them a polite smile, but it was obvious she was still in shock.

"Hi…"

"Dawn," Noa greeted after giving her a couple seconds to regain her composure. Dawn stared at her, the confusion contorting her features even more.

"Noa?"

She looked to Dick for an explanation, but he remained quiet like usual. It was only when Rachel stepped forward and introduced herself that she broke her concentration on her ex. Noa didn't miss how the teenager extended her hand, holding Dawn's for a few moments in what seemed like a typical greeting. She knew what Rachel was actually doing, though. The thought put a smile on Noa's face.

"Can we talk?" Dick asked.

"You're about four years too late, but sure," Dawn said, making way to let them inside her apartment.

Noa did Dick a favor and kept quiet as they placed their stuff in the living room. When Dawn suggested they talk on the roof, Noa joined them, but opted to stay with Rachel. They situated themselves by the large cage filled with doves, giving Dick and Dawn their space to _talk_.

"What did you see?"

Rachel only shrugged.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Noa cocked an eyebrow. "I thought we weren't supposed to lie to each other."

"Her and Dick," Rachel said with a sigh. "They were…"

" _Together_."

"Yeah."

Raking her fingers through her hair, Noa glanced sideways at Rachel. "You have any questions for me?"

"I kind of got the idea that you and Dick were…"

"Together?"

"Yeah, but ever since we started on our little roadtrip you two have barely spoken to each other, unless it's about me. It's just a little—"

"Confusing, I know," Noa said, nodding. She fought the urge to look over her shoulder to where she knew Dick and Dawn were sitting together. "It's that way for me, too. I'm sure you've noticed that Dick's not the kind of guy that talks about his feelings. That makes it difficult to know what's going on inside of that thick head of his."

"Why don't you just ask him?" Rachel questioned.

"Because as much I'd like to think I can always tell when he's lying, I know I can't. Truthfully, I'd rather not know at all than to go on believing that he trusted me only to find out it's a lie. I just…" her sentence trailed off when she failed to put the rest of her thoughts into words.

Rachel reached out and took her hand, holding it tightly between her own. She closed her eyes before speaking. "You don't want to get hurt again, but you love him too much to let him go."

"Pretty pathetic, huh? I'm twenty-three years old, but I still feel like that kid who used to chase him around the manor, begging him to let me catch him."

"You're here, though. That must mean you've caught him, right?"

Noa exhaled slowly as she pushed a loose strand of dark hair behind Rachel's ear. "You know, you're way too smart for your own good."

She tried to return the smile that Rachel gave her. Even though Noa had come out of the conversation feeling better, the problems were still there. Maybe they always would be.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing here, Dick?"

She glanced toward the door to the roof, sighing when she saw that Hank had finally arrived home.

"Fuck me," she murmured. Noa looked back at Rachel when she felt the girl release her hand.

She shook her head. "I don't even know what to do with that."

Noa winced. She realized that Rachel must have seen or felt whatever came up when she saw Hank. "Sorry."

"Well, you were right. This is complicated."

She returned her attention to the group behind them just in time to see Hank staring at her and Rachel. She offered a weak wave, but instantly regretted it. There was no way a simple wave would make him forget everything that had happened between the four of them.

"Noa?" The older man asked, just as confused as Dawn had been when they first got there.

"Can we just go back inside, please?" Dawn asked before leading Hank back into the apartment building.

"And it's about to get even worse, I think," Noa murmured as she stood from the crate they were sitting on. After exchanging a knowing look with Dick, she took Rachel back inside with her. If she were lucky, maybe they'd go the rest of the stay without having to confront the elephant, or elephants, in the room. Being blissfully ignorant actually sounded nice for once.

* * *

Despite the numerous warnings Rachel had given Noa, rooming with her hadn't been difficult. The girl didn't have a single nightmare so she got a reasonable amount of sleep. It was the only way she managed to slip out of the room early with the sole intention to be the first one in the bathroom. Unfortunately, she didn't make it halfway before running into someone. She was even more unfortunate that it happened to be Hank.

"Hey, kid," he said after slowing to a stop. He was probably heading to the kitchen before she walked into his path.

"Hi, Hank."

Shifting his weight, he rubbed the back of his neck. "We should probably talk, right?"

With a sigh, Noa nodded. "That would probably be the healthy, adult thing to do, which I am now apparently."

After Hank poured them both a cup of coffee, they decided to sit at the table in the kitchen. Noa bounced her leg as she tried to think of the best way to start the conversation. No matter what, it would still be awkward.

"We heard about your grandfather," Hank said, breaking the proverbial ice. "Dawn and I… we were both sorry that we weren't there to help."

"Even after everything that happened?"

"That had nothing to do with Dick, Noa. We should have put our friendship with you before our past with him and come help you."

Noa shook her head as she stared at her cup of coffee. The conversation definitely wasn't going the way she'd expected. Looking up at Hank, she quirked an eyebrow. "So, you're not angry at me for what happened?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. Neither did Dick or Dawn, technically."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about that, Hank." Noa angled her head toward him.

He shrugged. "You were a kid… and really drunk that night. You were trying to cause them pain and, honestly, so was I."

"It doesn't excuse what I did."

"Maybe not," Hank said. "But I don't hold it against you and neither does Dawn."

Noa raised her head, her eyes narrowing. "You finally told her what really happened."

Images of that one night four years ago flashed through her mind. She could remember drinking way too much in order to forget her heartbreak, then her getting a cab to Hank's apartment, and coming onto him way stronger than she ever would have if she was sober. Hank stayed true to upstanding nature and let her sleep off the alcohol in his bed. Unfortunately, the couch was too small for him so he took the other half of his bed, placing a ridge of pillows between them. When Dawn made a surprise visit the next morning, it happened to look like Noa and Hank had spent the night together and neither of them chose to own up to the truth. At the time, causing Dick and Dawn some pain or discomfort was more important to them.

Hank nodded as he glanced over his shoulder toward the bedroom. "Yeah, I didn't see any point in lying to her."

"That's good, Hank," Noa said. "You two deserve to be happy and that's a lot easier without a bunch of lies and secrets hanging over your head."

He seemed to notice the accidental double meaning before she did. Leaning forward, he lowered his voice. "You still love him, don't you? Even after everything…"

"You still love Dawn."

"It's not the same, Noa." Hank put a hand over hers. "You deserve better than him."

"Who's to decide what I deserve? Dick and I are alike in a lot of ways, but the one way we're not is that I still have faith in what I do when the sun goes down. He thinks it's wrong and corrupt while I'm still here putting my faith into the idea that we're doing the right thing." Noa sighed as she sat back in her chair. "What the hell does that say about us? About me?"

"If you think him suddenly trying to find some high moral ground to stand on makes him better than you, you're wrong. Even if he's successful and sticks to this new belief of his, it won't change what he's done."

"At least he's trying to do something he believes in. I mean, I am too, but suddenly what we believe are two very different things," Noa said. "I've loved him since before I knew what love meant, but so much has changed now. Even if he decides that he loves me too and wants to be with me, I don't think we'll be able to get over the fact that he would always hate the part of me that wants to be Halo."

Hank shook his head.

"He could never hate you, Noa. When someone looks at you the way Dick does, it's impossible. He'll always care about you, no matter what you do at night."

"Hank's right, Noa."

She looked up to see Dawn standing at the edge of the kitchen. Noa hadn't noticed when she'd first walked up, but she'd obviously been there long enough to hear the gist of the conversation. The older woman sat down in the seat beside her boyfriend and gave Noa a comforting smile.

"You know Dick's not the kind of guy who explains what he's thinking or feeling, but he has a lot of tells in the way he acts. The way he acts around you—the way he's always acted around you shows how much he loves you. I don't think that one lifestyle choice will be enough to overcome that."

Noa wet her lips before returning her smile. "I hope you're right."

* * *

"Maybe next time try breaking a plate… or a cup. Something that doesn't shatter so easy," Noa said as she continued to pick glass out of Rachel's hair. Despite the broken window, it was fun watching her break up the fight between Dick and Hank and scaring the shit out of the two grown men. Slightly terrifying, but fun.

Rachel sighed. "I don't know how to control it."

Noa put a hand on her shoulder, leaning forward so the younger girl could see her face. "I was kidding, but I used to be like you when it came to my powers, too. It'll get better, eventually."

"How did you learn to control it?"

"Practice," Noa said. "And Bruce was a lot of help. He had my gauntlets made so I could control the strength of my powers when I used them."

Rachel turned her head. "I don't think practice or those gauntlets will help in my situation."

"Maybe not, but the more we learn about your abilities, the better we'll be able to understand it. Then, we could try to find a way to help you."

"You sound very optimistic."

"Well, someone has to be and I'm pretty sure it's not going to be Dick."

"True."

Noa huffed a sigh after pulling out the last piece of glass she could find in Rachel's hair. "Okay. I think I got it all."

"Thank you." Rachel said before leaning back against her. Noa wrapped her arms around her, hugging her close.

"We'll figure this out, kid. And even if we can't, I'm not going to let you go through it alone."

"You're the only one who hasn't done that."

"What?"

"Lied to me," Rachel said. "I don't even have to touch you to know you're telling the truth."

Noa rested her head on top of hers. "To be fair, I wasn't always the most truthful person. When I met you, you were already scared enough of yourself. You didn't need another reason to doubt what you're being told. I thought it would be easier to tell the truth from the start."

"I wish Dick felt that way."

"He does, Rachel. He just… hasn't had much practice being this person."

"He hasn't had much practice being himself?"

"Being this version of himself," Noa said. "Remember when I said that I had a big change in my life and I was still trying to adjust to it?"

Rachel nodded.

"Well, Dick chose to make a big change in his life about a year ago and he's still learning how to adjust."

"Why's it taken him so long?"

Noa pursed her lips. "I think it's because a part of him didn't want to make that change, but he knew it was the right thing to do. It's hard for him to leave his past behind."

"And you're a part of his past he didn't want to let go," Rachel said without any doubt in her voice. The older girl shrugged even though she couldn't see her.

"I was… and still am, I guess."

"Hey, guys."

Rachel and Noa looked up to see Dick standing in the bedroom doorway. She waited until Rachel sat up to face him.

"I'm sorry about the window," Rachel said.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for."

"He's right," Noa said, rubbing the girl's shoulder softly. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I—" Rachel stopped when a knock came at the door. Dawn smiled as she walked into the room.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" She continued when Rachel shrugged. "Hank is sorry. He can be a real asshole sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Noa joked, earning a small smirk from Dawn.

"We should get going, Noa. Hank already put your suit in the car."

The younger blonde sighed before nodding. She gave a quick hug to Rachel and slid off the bed.

"Wait, you're going with them?" Dick asked as he stood up.

"Yeah, whether Hank wants to admit it or not, they need help and I'm not going to let them do this alone."

"Okay, now you really should call this off," Dick said, turning his attention to Dawn. "It's still too dangerous, even with the three of you. I'm not going to let Noa get herself killed just because—"

"In case you forgot, Dick, we were trained by the same person and I am just as good at what we do as you are." He opened his mouth to say something, but Noa continued before he got the chance. "Also, I don't need your fucking permission or opinion to do jobs, okay? You lost that privilege the second you left Gotham."

"Noa, I—"

"Save it," she said, holding up a hand. Turning on her heels she walked out of the room to follow Hank to the car. "I'm going."

He looked to the other blonde. "Dawn..."

The woman shook her head. "She's right, Dick. It's her choice and she's made it. We'll be back in a couple hours tops. Try not to worry too much."

Dick clenched his jaw as he curled his hands into fists as he watched Dawn and Noa leave the apartment. He desperately wanted to believe that they could handle themselves, but something in the back of his mind was telling him that the job was bound to go wrong. The last thing he wanted was to put the Robin suit back on. He already broke the promise he made to himself once, he didn't want to do it again unless absolutely necessary. But if saving his friends didn't meet that standard, then he didn't know what would.

* * *

It only took a few minutes to scope out the large industrial warehouse. There were less than ten guys inside and all they had were a few guns. Noa was ready to go in when Hank and Dawn stepped in front of her.

"You're staying out here," Hank said. Noa opened her mouth to argue, but Dawn beat her to the punch.

"You were right to tell Dick what you said back at the apartment, but he was also right. We shouldn't bring you in unless it's essential. You're not in Gotham anymore. You shouldn't have to put yourself in danger every night if you don't have to."

"But I _want_ to do this. I want to help you."

"We know," Hank told her, "and you'll be right here in case we need it. Just let us go in first, check it out, and take care of the muscle. Then you can come in, I promise."

"And if I say no?"

Hank and Dawn exchanged a look before Hank stepped toward her. "We know you're an adult now and you think you should be able to make these kinds of choices for yourself, but to us you're still that kid that used to tag along on missions. Our main goal was to fight, obviously, but we always tried to look out for you. That hasn't changed. Let us look out for you one more time."

Noa exhaled slowly. She could see that they were really just trying to look out for her, whether she needed it or not.

"Fine." She looked between the two older vigilantes. "But if you run into trouble, do not fucking hesitate to call for me."

* * *

Every second that ticked by felt like minutes. Noa huffed a sigh as she leaned her head back against the car, counting the stars to pass the time. It wasn't the first time that she'd been left behind during a job. It used to happen a lot more when she was younger, but even when she partnered with Bruce and Dick, it still happened from time to time. Each time they claimed it was to protect her.

"This is such bullshit," Noa murmured under her breath. Hank and Dawn had been in there too long without a sound. She pushed herself off the car and leaned through the window to grab her gauntlets. Quickly, she pulled her suit, which was lowered to her waist, on the rest of the way before placing the gauntlets on her arms.

She went in the same way that her friends did, through the back door. Proceeding toward the center of the warehouse, Noa cautiously kept one arm raised. She wasn't going to let anyone get the drop on her. Even if it was supposedly safe.

The soft hum of people talking in the distance reached her ears a few moments later. She continued in the same direction of it until she could see what was going on. Noa ducked behind a row of boxes before she could be spotted, but not before she caught a look at Hank and Dawn huddled together in front of the truck with Hank clutching his side. He was probably injured and the fact that they were surrounded by a dozen or so armed men didn't help any.

"Noa."

She whipped her head around, but the momentum of the sudden movement caused her to tip backwards. A hand shot out at the last second, catching her by the arm before she could fall and blow her cover.

"It's me," the familiar voice met her ears. "Dick."

"Jesus-fucking-Christ, haven't you learned by now not to sneak up on me? I could've blinded you or worse," Noa said, being conscientious enough to keep her voice at a whisper volume.

Dick scoffed. "And risk being exposed, I doubt it."

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

"Yeah, but we got bigger things to worry about."

Noa peered between the boxes to see another man join Dawn and Hank and he was waving a pair of garden sheers around.

"Hm, that can't be good."

"You go right, I'll go left," Dick said before disappearing.

"Sure thing, _Dick_ ," Noa mumbled as she hurried to get to a better advantage point. From experience, she knew that Dick would want to make the first move. She just had to wait for the signal.

Noa kept hidden until the bloodshed started. Dick came out swinging, putting his signature shuriken into one man's eye and stabbing the leader with his own garden shears. She took that as the signal and went to work.

The man in front of her had a gun strapped to his belt along with the one he was holding. He was so preoccupied by his acquaintances getting stabbed he didn't notice when Noa grabbed the weapon from his waist. Using it as a blunt object, she hit him twice with it. Once on his lower left leg, hard enough to break the bone, and once on the back of his head to knock him out. She wanted to make sure that even if he did wake before they were gone, he wouldn't be able to follow them.

Turning her attention to the next man, she lifted her hand and shot a powerful beam of energy into his chest. It threw him onto his back and she followed it up with two swift punches to the face. With the extra weight of the gauntlets, it knocked him unconscious.

When she spun around again the last man standing already had his gun pointed at her. Noa directed a strong beam of light at him. The flash momentarily blinded the man and she took her chance, charging at him before he could recover. She landed a few punches to his face and torso and grabbed the gun in his hand. Spinning on her heels, she pulled the man's arm over her shoulder and jerked it downward, snapping the bone quite easily. He finally released the weapon and Noa swung around to hit him with it. When he was flat on his back, she started to bring the butt of the gun down on his face for good measure. She only got one hit in before Dawn called out her name.

"That's enough," the older woman said. "He's already unconscious."

Noa rolled her eyes and tossed the gun aside so she could help her friends. Since Hank was still clutching his chest, she assumed he was injured.

"You know, a thank you would be nice," she mumbled. "Or even a 'oops, we were wrong, Noa.'"

"Thank you, Noa," Dawn said with a huff. "Now, please help me get Hank up."

Together, they managed to help him off the ground and turn him around toward the exit. Noa let out a quiet sigh of relief when Dick appeared in front of them. The blood on his face and suit wasn't his, that she was sure of. He bent down and pulled the shuriken out of the first man he'd taken down.

"You're welcome," he said before turning and walking out of the warehouse.

Noa pursed her lips to hide the smile that was tugging at the corners. Maybe it was wrong for her to be happy that Dick was fighting with her again. Especially when all he wanted was to leave it behind, but she was afraid if it came to that, he would leave her behind too. While Noa knew she wasn't ready to let him go again, she couldn't say it would be the same for him and the thought worried her more than she cared to admit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When they returned to the apartment, Noa wasn't sure what to expect. Hank and Dawn clearly disapproved of how things went down at the warehouse. She wondered if it was bad enough to finally force them to sever their ties to her and Dick for good.

"Rachel." No response. Dick tried again. "Rachel?"

Noa checked the guest bedroom where they had left her and shook her head at Dick upon finding that the room was alarmingly empty. "I'll check the roof," she said. She was already heading for the staircase.

"I'm coming with you," Dick insisted. He caught up to her and they swiftly ascended the steps together. Hank and Dawn trailed behind them, slowed down by an injured Hank.

"She might've just needed some air." Noa offered an innocent explanation for Rachel's disappearing act. She hoped it would alleviate the mounting tension she felt as they neared the top of the stairs.

Dick nodded in agreement. "Probably. I don't like the idea of her leaving the apartment on her own, though."

"Careful, Dick. You keep this up, people might start to think you actually care," she said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He ignored her as he pushed the door open and they stepped out onto the roof. There they found Rachel standing by the dove cage. Noa was instantly relieved at the sight of her.

"Hey, what are you doing up here?" Dick asked as he and Noa approached her. "I was worried."

"We both were." Noa put a hand on the girl's shoulder. She exchanged a look with Dick when Rachel didn't answer. "Rach? What's wrong?" She questioned in a soft voice.

Noa narrowed her eyes at the envelope the teen pulled out from under her arm. Holding it in her hands, Rachel sighed. "You were going to leave me here. You said you weren't, but you lied. You must lie a lot. You're good at it."

"What's she talking about?" Hank asked from behind them, taking the words right out of Noa's mouth.

Rachel walked over to Hank and Dawn and handed the envelope to him.

"Hank, don't read that. I—" Dick stopped when Hank cut him off.

"It's got my name on it."

While Noa had the urge to go and read the letter herself, she already had an idea about what Dick had done. It was all he knew how to do.

This whole time, she'd been desperately hoping that Dick would get on board with the mission to help Rachel. If he could stop running away from his past and accept who he was, then maybe they would be one step closer to the life they deserved. A life with each other.

"The fuck?" Hank mused aloud. Noa's eyes settled on him and the others. "You were going to leave her here? You were going to pay us?"

"It's not that simple," Dick attempted to defend himself.

"' _I know you guys can look out for her_ ,'" Hank read aloud. "It seems pretty simple…"

Their conversation faded into the background when Rachel turned to face Noa. The older girl put out her hand, but she shook her head at the offer.

"I don't need to," Rachel said as she bridged the gap between them. "You didn't know, did you?"

"No. I figured he might try to run at some point, but I didn't know this is how he'd do it."

Rachel nodded. "I believe you."

"Thank you," Noa said. She cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowed in thought as an idea formed in her mind. "What do you say to leaving, just the two of us?"

"You'd leave Dick… for me?" Rachel asked incredulously, her brows raising.

"Hell yeah, kid. I told you before and I'll tell you again: I'm not letting you do this alone." Noa took Rachel's hand, not so she could know if she was telling her the truth, but for comfort. "I have money. We'll rent a shitty car and hit the road."

"Just the two of us?"

Noa smiled affectionately. She reached up to brush the stray hair blowing in Rachel's face behind her ear. "Just the two of us."

"You don't have to do that, Noa," Dick said as he came up behind them. She glared when she saw him put a hand on Rachel's shoulder. "I was going to come back for you."

She released Noa's hand and laid it on top of Dick's. Closing her eyes, Rachel exhaled steadily. When she opened them again, all Noa could see was disappointment. She forcefully pushed Dick's hand off her shoulder. " _Liar_. You were never coming back for me."

"Rachel—"

"Dick," Noa said to stop him. She shook her head when he looked at her.

"And lying to me will only make this worse," Rachel added.

Dick tried again to state his case. "I wasn't—"

Before he could get any farther, an even-toned and upbeat voice interrupted. "Well, hello there, you five."

Noa turned to see who had joined them and was as confused as the rest of them to see four well-dressed strangers. A man and a woman, who were presumably husband and wife, along with two teenagers who were likely their children. They resembled a normal family on the surface, however their unsettling smiles reminded Noa of several psychopaths she'd helped place in Arkham Asylum.

Hank started towards them. "Who the fuck are these guys?"

The adult man kicked Hank in the middle of the chest, hindering him from getting any closer. The impact threw him to the ground several feet away, which left the rest of them in awe. Noa only hesitated to get involved in the fight long enough to make sure that Dick was taking care of Rachel. She went straight after the Father, who was now attempting to follow them to their hiding spot.

Even with his back to her, he must have seen her coming. Right as she raised a leg to kick him, his hand shot out, locking around her ankle. She was quick to remember her numerous years of training and spun out of the hold. Using the momentum to her advantage, she whirled around to catch him in the face with a back fist. Unfortunately, without any extra weight from her gauntlets, the hit didn't seem to faze him.

The man threw two punches in return. Noa managed to block the first one directed at her ribs, but the second connected hard with her cheek. She stumbled sideways as the metallic taste of blood erupted in her mouth. Before she could recover, he hit her again, this time landing one on her jaw. Barely able to maintain her balance, she dodged the next punch that came her way, but he caught her eye with a high kick to the face. The force knocked her to the ground and she spat out blood.

Noa didn't know if the several hits she had taken to the head were impairing her judgement, but it felt like this man's attacks carried more power behind them than what should be possible for a regular person. In a bid to buy herself a second to recover, she started to raise her hand to fire a light blast, but never got the chance. The man stepped down on her palm, crushing it between his boot and the gravel. Noa cried out, but the man showed no sympathy. Instead, he clutched the collar of her shirt with both hands and yanked her to her feet. Pulling his head back, he headbutted her hard enough to make her knees buckle and vision go spotty. Groaning in pain, she forced herself to open her eyes. Blood dripped down her chin when she opened her mouth to speak.

"Who are you?" Her voice came out like a croak.

His persistent menacing smile widened as he said, "This isn't personal."

With that, he spun in a quick circle and released his hold on her, sending her flying through the air. Her body crashed against one of the radiators. A sharp pain at the back of her skull was the last thing she felt before darkness came over her.

* * *

Dick didn't leave Dawn's side until the ambulances came. She'd lost consciousness about a minute before they arrived, but he did CPR to keep her breathing. Once she was loaded into the back of the emergency vehicle, Dick turned his attention back to the roof. He'd already directed the second team of responders in that direction. Noa and Hank were still up there, and he had no idea how badly they were hurt.

He climbed the stairs almost as fast as he'd gone down them. Opening the door to the roof, he scanned the space, searching for either of his friends. He sighed in relief when his eyes landed on the pair of EMT's. They had their backs to him, but he could see that they were with Noa and Hank.

Hank looked up at him from his spot on the ground when Dick approached. Noa's head was in his lap. She was still unconscious. Dick hadn't gotten that good of a look at her before he went after Dawn. He hadn't noticed the extent of her injuries.

"How's Dawn?" Hank asked.

Dick swallowed hard, tearing his gaze from Noa. "Alive. They're taking her to the hospital. Thank you for staying with Noa, Hank. I know it—"

"Thank you for saving Dawn," he responded as he glanced down at Noa. He swept her hair out of the gash on her cheek.

"Is she going to be okay?" Dick asked the paramedics.

"We have to get her to the hospital so they can run some tests. She definitely has a concussion and some trauma to her face, but it doesn't seem too severe," the older of the pair said.

Dick and Hank helped them get Noa onto the gurney and down the stairs to the ambulance. They rode in the back with her, but went their separate ways once they got to the hospital. Hank went to find out what was going on with Dawn while Dick opted to stay with Noa this time. Luckily, the tests came back rather quickly and the doctors reported that she'd most likely wake in a couple hours, if not sooner.

He stayed at her bedside as the minutes ticked by at an agonizing pace. If Noa was awake, she'd probably kick his ass for not going after Rachel immediately, but he'd already left her once. He wasn't going to do it again.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Dick stood, turning around to see that Hank had joined him. He sighed and nodded as he looked back over his shoulder at their friend.

"The doctors said she just needs some rest. They gave me some meds to help with the pain and nausea when she wakes up."

"That's good," Hank said.

"How's Dawn?"

Hank's attention remained on Noa as he shuffled closer to the bed, letting out a heavy breath. "She's in an induced coma, but the doctors told me there's hope she'll recover."

"I'm sorry, Hank. If I never—"

"Dick?" A weak voice spoke up from behind him.

He spun on his heels and quickly crossed the short distance to Noa's side. Her eyes were barely opened slits, but she was awake. That was all that mattered. Dick pulled his chair closer to her bed and took a seat. He then grasped her hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze.

"How do you feel?" There was a rare gentleness in his tone.

"Tired." Noa tried to clear her scratchy throat. "And thirsty."

Dick moved to get the pitcher of water from the table by the door, but Hank was one step ahead. He handed a full cup to Dick, who thanked him quietly and lifted it to Noa's lips to help her drink. She took several sips, the cold water soothing her raw throat. Upon finishing, her gaze shifted to a forlorn looking Hank. It didn't take her much longer to notice that two people were missing.

"Where are Rachel and Dawn?"

Hank forced an unconvincing smile. "Dawn's here. She's in a coma, but the doctors said there's a chance she'll wake up."

Dick pursed his lips as he tried to find a way to break the news to Noa that he'd failed to protect Rachel. She'd taken a strong liking to the girl. The main reason she'd decided to fight the strongest member of the family was to stop him from going after them.

Dick was unable to look her in the face as he told her, "Rachel's gone. Those people, they took her."

"What?" Noa's eyes grew wide with disbelief. She propped herself up on her elbows, but the sudden movement caused a piercing pain to radiate from the back of her head.

"Noa—" Dick said when she winced.

"Take it easy, kid," Hank advised, stepping closer to put a hand on her leg.

"Dawn's in a coma and thosepsychopaths have Rachel," Noa said through her teeth, her voice drenched with contempt. "How the fuck am I supposed to take it easy?"

Dick angled his head toward her. "I'm not saying we're not going after her, but we're not going to be any help to Rachel if you hurt yourself worse than you already are by going too fast."

Hank gave Dick a nudge and he complied, moving aside to let him sit beside Noa. He grabbed her hand. "Dick's right, kid. Dawn's hurt and I can't leave her, but I think you can find out whoever those people were. You're not going to be able to do it if you're half-dead, though."

"Fine, have it your way," Noa conceded. She drew her arms underneath her again and cautiously pushed herself up into a sitting position. Dick had already gone to get her clothes and returned to her bedside with them in hand.

Hank stood. "I have to get back to Dawn, but… keep me updated?"

"Of course," Noa said. After placing a quick kiss to the top of her head, Hank turned to leave.

He paused next to Dick as he passed by, lowering his voice to a threatening whisper. "Listen, I don't give a shit what you think about being a vigilante or fighting criminals, but you better take care of her, Dick. She doesn't have anyone else to watch her back anymore."

The younger man nodded.

"I mean it." With that, Hank left the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

"He's kind of what I imagine the result would be if Superman and Oliver Queen had a baby."

Dick looked back at Noa, face contorted in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "I may be _slightly_ doped up on pain meds."

"Right…" Dick said, smiling to himself. "Let's just get you out of here."

Together they managed to get her dressed and ready to go before the doctor returned to explain that if they chose to leave then, it would be against his medical advice. Any other day Noa would've played it safe and stayed in the hospital as long as necessary, but with Rachel being kidnapped they couldn't afford to lose time. She signed the AMA forms and, after a short argument, let Dick push her outside in a wheelchair.

Once they were almost at the car, Dick wrapped an arm around Noa and pulled her to her feet, letting her lean on him as they walked the rest of the way to his Porsche. She let out a relaxed sigh as she settled into the passenger's seat. Dick rounded the hood, but he received a phone call just as he was about to get in. He answered it, his back to her so she couldn't discern what the conversation was about. A couple minutes later, he dropped into the driver's seat.

"Who was that?" She wondered aloud.

Dick glanced sideways at her. "A detective from my precinct back in Detroit. She said that some magenta-haired woman took Rachel from the family at a gas station nearby."

"That's good, right? Now, we know where to start looking," Noa said, feeling more hopeful than she had in weeks.

"Yeah, it's good…" He trailed off leading her to believe there was more to the story.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Want to tell me what else your detective friend said?"

"My new partner, Rohrbach, was murdered yesterday. I'm guessing it has something to do with the homicidal maniacs that came after us."

"Dick, you can't blame yourself."

"It's a little too late for that," Dick muttered. He put the car in drive and peeled out of the parking lot.

Noa knew he was telling the truth. There was nothing she could say that would make him feel any less guilty for his partner's death. He would always find a way to place fault on himself.

She sunk into the seat and leaned her throbbing head against the cool window. "We're going to the gas station?"

"We have to get our stuff from Hank and Dawn's apartment first," Dick said.

"And then?"

"And then we get Rachel back."

* * *

"What the fuck?" Noa murmured as they pulled up to the gas station that was the last known location of Rachel and her mysterious kidnapper. The gaping hole in the attached bathroom was impossible to miss. It looked like someone had melted the wall that once stood there.

"I don't think we're dealing with any ordinary kidnapper," Dick remarked.

"Oh, really? What would make you think that? The new backdoor entrance to the bathroom or the dead psychopath?"

He shot Noa an unamused look and got out of the car, making sure to grab his badge. It was the only way they'd be granted access to the crime scene. Noa followed a few moments later. She was trying not to overexert herself in hopes of healing faster than the doctors told her she would. When they found Rachel, she wanted to be ready for anything.

"Try to be—"

"Civil," She finished for him. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"I was going to say quiet."

She flipped him off using both hands before they reached the first responders at the scene.

Dick stuck by her side as they surveyed the damage to the building. Then, they went to inspect the body. Noa almost laughed when she saw how the man who attacked her, and almost killed Dawn, had died.

"I'm suddenly craving barbeque," she said quietly as she looked over his charred body.

"Noa…"

"Sorry," she responded, but they both knew it was an empty apology.

Noa opted to go back to the car while Dick ventured into the gas station to get the video from the security camera. She managed to shut her eyes for a few minutes while he was gone, but forced them open again once he returned. They watched the video together using one of the computers Bruce had gifted Dick. By tracking the car the magenta-haired woman was driving, they figured out where she'd taken Rachel next.

"A church?" Noa asked as she stared at the address on the screen.

"A convent," Dick corrected, earning a sharp glare from her.

"It's the same thing. How far is this one?"

"About an hour. If I speed."

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

Noa maneuvered onto her back so she was staring at the roof of the car. She'd crawled into the backseat a few minutes into the drive. Even though it was unlikely, she wanted to try to get some rest before they caught up with Rachel.

"Still tired," she sighed. "And my head hurts."

"Did you take the meds?"

"Yeah, they should kick in soon," Noa said. Biting her lower lip, she realized being trapped in the car with Dick was probably the best time to bring up what happened back at Hank and Dawn's apartment. "So, were you ever planning on telling me that you were going to leave Rachel behind? Or were you planning on leaving me too?"

"No, I was going to tell you when we got back from the warehouse."

"And, what, you didn't think I'd try to talk you out of it?"

"I just thought you'd—"

"Choose you," Noa finished for him and let out an angry huff. She sat up so Dick could see her in the rearview mirror. "You thought I'd just up and leave Rachel there if you ask me to."

"I didn't know that you two had bonded so much," Dick said, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

"Well, let me make something very clear, Dick. I promised Rachel that I wouldn't make her go through this alone, and that's a promise I plan on keeping." She paused as she tried to find the right words. "I love you and, as you obviously already know, I'd follow you anywhere, but not if it means abandoning Rachel."

"I know that now. I'm not going to leave her again. At least, not until it's safe for her."

Noa nodded. "That's good to hear, but I don't think you can promise that."

"Why not?" He questioned, his brows drawing together.

"Because you're a runner." She shrugged when his eyes caught hers in the mirror again. "It's what you do."

Dick put his attention back to the road without saying anything more. Deep down, he knew she was right. Even if he wanted to contradict her, history spoke for itself. All he could do was try to make sure it never happened again.


End file.
